Doe Quote by Monique Wittig
“There was a time when you were not a slave, remember that. You walked alone, full of laughter, you bathed bare-bellied. You say you have lost all recollection of it, remember . . . You say there are no words to describe this time, you say it does not exist. But remember. Make an effort to remember. Or, failing that, invent.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: “Les Guérillères” (1969)
Remembering freedom from oppression restores agency; if forgotten, recreate it through imagination.
In simple terms: Recall past freedom, or imagine it anew.
Key Takeaway
Recall or invent personal liberation.
Themes
freedom
memory
identity
resistance
Mood
defiant
hopeful
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- activism
- therapy
- artistic creation
- personal growth
Key Concepts
Feminist theory
post‑structuralism
creative imagination
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you reclaim lost agency?
- What role does imagination play in resistance?
A Different Perspective
Invented memories may lack grounding in reality.
